Rockin' Robyn

Great day today. Feeling much better. Found out I may get to go to Haiti on a medical missions trip..so that has been a good distraction! I'm just not very hungry and starting to dwindle on getting all my calories in. Here is my food log for the day: B: 1 cup cottage cheese (80 Cals / 8 Protein) L: Lean Cuisine, the chicken only (120 cals / 10 protein) D: Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup (heavy on the beef) (200 cals / 25 Protein) S: 1/2 cup pistachios(200 cals / 6 protein) S#2: Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup (heavy on the beef) (200 cals / 25 Protein) Totals for today are 800 calories and 74 gms protein. Surgery Date: 8/5/05 Starting Weight: 384 pounds Lowest Weight 1/2/07: 226 pounds Starting over Date: 1/4/09 at 320 pounds Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

Great day today. Feeling much better. Found out I may get to go to Haiti on a medical missions trip..so that has been a good distraction! I'm just not very hungry and starting to dwindle on getting all my calories in. Here is my food log for the day: B: 1 cup cottage cheese (80 Cals / 8 Protein) L: Lean Cuisine, the chicken only (120 cals / 10 protein) D: Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup (heavy on the beef) (200 cals / 25 Protein) S: 1/2 cup pistachios(200 cals / 6 protein) S#2: Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup (heavy on the beef) (200 cals / 25 Protein) Totals for today are 800 calories and 74 gms protein. Surgery Date: 8/5/05 Starting Weight: 384 pounds Lowest Weight 1/2/07: 226 pounds Starting over Date: 1/4/09 at 320 pounds Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

Down 11 pounds. Have had a bit of the stomach flu the last couple days...actually I think it is more related to stress and life. But nonetheless, haven't had an appetite, and unable to keep much down-so didn't see the point in tracking. Even though the same is true today, I didn't want to get out of the habit of blogging. So here goes. B: Slept L: 2 eggs-not sure how much kept down D: 4 oz mahi mahi with 1/8th avacado (the insides of a fish taco)..again not kept down. But there..I blogged! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. :thumbup: Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

Down 11 pounds. Have had a bit of the stomach flu the last couple days...actually I think it is more related to stress and life. But nonetheless, haven't had an appetite, and unable to keep much down-so didn't see the point in tracking. Even though the same is true today, I didn't want to get out of the habit of blogging. So here goes. B: Slept L: 2 eggs-not sure how much kept down D: 4 oz mahi mahi with 1/8th avacado (the insides of a fish taco)..again not kept down. But there..I blogged! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

Worked last night and slept most of the day, so calorie intake is a little weird. I'm tired again and getting ready to go to bed. So I didn't get as much as needed in today...but then again, my whole new outlook is I'm not going to beat myself up when I'm not 100 percent all the time. :ohmy: So here's my intake for today: L: assorted cheeses (400 cal / 15 protein), 2 slices summer sausage (120 cal/ 7 protein) D: 1 cup steamed chicken and broccoli (115 calories / 22 protein) Totals for today are 635 calories and 44 gms protein. :cursing:

Worked last night and slept most of the day, so calorie intake is a little weird. I'm tired again and getting ready to go to bed. So I didn't get as much as needed in today...but then again, my whole new outlook is I'm not going to beat myself up when I'm not 100 percent all the time. :ohmy: So here's my intake for today: L: assorted cheeses (400 cal / 15 protein), 2 slices summer sausage (120 cal/ 7 protein) D: 1 cup steamed chicken and broccoli (115 calories / 22 protein) Totals for today are 635 calories and 44 gms protein.

Here's the link to a prior blog entry where I gave the recipe... Starting Over-Day #9 - LAP-BAND Its so yummy and high in protein..and great to take to a party as a low carb treat to eat with celery sticks (before I was being good again, this was a family favorite to eat with tortilla chips). As far as the dessert recipe...its simple. Mix one package lemon (or cheesecake is good too) sugar free pudding mix with one 16 oz ricotta cheese. Blend together and eat. I like it thick, but I guess you could thin it out with a little milk if you want. I also sometimes put a squirt of whipped cream and a few blue berries on top for a low carb treat!

From experience, I'm fine with the second week plauteau. I remember from before I would lose 10ish pounds fairly quickly, then plateau for about a week. Patience and understanding is key :ohmy: Strangely been more hungry today than I have been. Not sure what that is about. I couldn't have lost that much fat around my band yet. Will ride it out and see. Here's the food log for the day: B: 2 String Cheese (160 cal / 12 protein) S: 1/2 cup pistachios (200 cal/ 6 protein), L: 1 cup Buffalo Chicken Dip with celery sticks for dipping (380 cals / 36 Protein) D: 4 oz Tilapia (90 cals / 21 Protein), 1/2 cup steamed broccoli. S: 1/2 cup ricotta cheese mixed with sugar free lemon flavor jello pudding mix (160 cal / 12 protein) topped with 1/4 cup blue berries (10 cal / 0 protein) S: 1 cup Buffalo Chicken Dip with celery sticks for dipping (380 cals / 36 Protein) Total calories for today are 1380 cals and 123 gms protein! Definitely in ketosis...another day down :cursing:

From experience, I'm fine with the second week plauteau. I remember from before I would lose 10ish pounds fairly quickly, then plateau for about a week. Patience and understanding is key Strangely been more hungry today than I have been. Not sure what that is about. I couldn't have lost that much fat around my band yet. Will ride it out and see. Here's the food log for the day: B: 2 String Cheese (160 cal / 12 protein) S: 1/2 cup pistachios (200 cal/ 6 protein), L: 1 cup Buffalo Chicken Dip with celery sticks for dipping (380 cals / 36 Protein) D: 4 oz Tilapia (90 cals / 21 Protein), 1/2 cup steamed broccoli. S: 1/2 cup ricotta cheese mixed with sugar free lemon flavor jello pudding mix (160 cal / 12 protein) topped with 1/4 cup blue berries (10 cal / 0 protein) S: 1 cup Buffalo Chicken Dip with celery sticks for dipping (380 cals / 36 Protein) Total calories for today are 1380 cals and 123 gms protein! Definitely in ketosis...another day down :thumbup:

A large bag of frozen chicken breasts are fine...sometimes I use the frozen chicken tenders as they are smaller pieces and they cook faster :thumbup:

Made a yummy new low carb recipe today...Buffalo Chicken Dip. Very simple too. Just throw a bag of frozen chicken into the crockpot, throw one bottle of your favorite wing sauce over that, then sprinkle one package of Hidden Valley Ranch dry dressing mix over that. Cook until chicken is tender, then shred the chicken, mix in two 8 oz packages of cream cheese and stir well. You can serve it hot or cold, and could eat it with a fork instead of as a dip if you wanted to cuz its just that good! Anyway, here's the accountability log of food for the day: B: 1 cup ricotta cheese mixed with sugar free lemon flavor jello pudding mix (320 cal / 24 protein) topped with 1/4 cup blue berries (10 cal / 0 protein) L: Lean Cuisine Meatloaf (no potatoes) (200 cal / 20 protein) D: 1 cup Buffalo Chicken Dip with celery sticks for dipping ( 380 cals / 36 Protein ) S: 1 cup ricotta cheese mixed with sugar free lemon flavor jello pudding mix (320 cal / 24 protein) topped with 1/4 cup blue berries (10 cal / 0 protein) That makes the grand total for today 1240 calories and 104 gms protein!

Made a yummy new low carb recipe today...Buffalo Chicken Dip. Very simple too. Just throw a bag of frozen chicken into the crockpot, throw one bottle of your favorite wing sauce over that, then sprinkle one package of Hidden Valley Ranch dry dressing mix over that. Cook until chicken is tender, then shred the chicken, mix in two 8 oz packages of cream cheese and stir well. You can serve it hot or cold, and could eat it with a fork instead of as a dip if you wanted to cuz its just that good! Anyway, here's the accountability log of food for the day: B: 1 cup ricotta cheese mixed with sugar free lemon flavor jello pudding mix (320 cal / 24 protein) topped with 1/4 cup blue berries (10 cal / 0 protein) L: Lean Cuisine Meatloaf (no potatoes) (200 cal / 20 protein) D: 1 cup Buffalo Chicken Dip with celery sticks for dipping ( 380 cals / 36 Protein ) S: 1 cup ricotta cheese mixed with sugar free lemon flavor jello pudding mix (320 cal / 24 protein) topped with 1/4 cup blue berries (10 cal / 0 protein) That makes the grand total for today 1240 calories and 104 gms protein!

Still doing well considering low carbing it for a whole week now. I'm down 8 pounds in 8 days!! Not too shabby. I just keep repeating to myself..Keep it up Robyn, you can do it again! :tongue_smilie:Here's the breakdown for today: B: assorted cheeses (400 cal / 15 protein), 2 slices summer sausage (120 cal/ 7 protein) S: 1/2 cup pistachios (200 cal/ 6 protein), L: side salad with 2 tbsp ranch (150 Cals/ 0 Protein), 1/4 c asparagus (10 Cal / 1 Protein), 4 sea scallops (100 cals / 20 Protein) D: Tuna Salad Kit (no crackers) (100 cal / 18 protein) Total for today is 1080 cals and 67 gms protein. Surgery Date: 8/5/05 Starting Weight: 384 pounds Lowest Weight 1/2/07: 226 pounds Starting over Date: 1/4/09 at 320 pounds Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

Still doing well considering low carbing it for a whole week now. I'm down 8 pounds in 8 days!! Not too shabby. I just keep repeating to myself..Keep it up Robyn, you can do it again! :tongue_smilie:Here's the breakdown for today: B: assorted cheeses (400 cal / 15 protein), 2 slices summer sausage (120 cal/ 7 protein) S: 1/2 cup pistachios (200 cal/ 6 protein), L: side salad with 2 tbsp ranch (150 Cals/ 0 Protein), 1/4 c asparagus (10 Cal / 1 Protein), 4 sea scallops (100 cals / 20 Protein) D: Tuna Salad Kit (no crackers) (100 cal / 18 protein) Total for today is 1080 cals and 67 gms protein. Surgery Date: 8/5/05 Starting Weight: 384 pounds Lowest Weight 1/2/07: 226 pounds Starting over Date: 1/4/09 at 320 pounds Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

Down 7 pounds so far...not to bad considering I should be retaining water about now and famished :w00t: Okay, so I didn't post yesterday's food in a timely fashion because I have had to work night shifts..but I still wrote every bite down with plans to do a late entry. Yesterday was a very emotional day for me, and I was able to do pretty well considering. Me and my hubby went on a date to Cheesecake Factory and actually shared an entree. We haven't done that since right after my surgery. It felt good to just eat a few bites and be satisfied. Much cheaper too!! So here's my food for the day: B: 2 mini crustless quiche (180 cal / 16 protein), 1/2 cup cottage cheese (80 cal /10 protein). S: 1/2 cup Pistachios (170 cal / 6 gm protein) L: None-I slept through it! D: 2 ounces steak (150 cal / 15 gm protein) 2 oz salmon (150 cal / 13 gm protein) 3 bites red velvet cheesecake (oops-but I contained myself to 3 bites!) ( I'm going to overguestimate 300 cal / 0 protein) That makes a grand total for today of 1030 cals and 60 gm protein.

Down 7 pounds so far...not to bad considering I should be retaining water about now and famished :thumbup: Okay, so I didn't post yesterday's food in a timely fashion because I have had to work night shifts..but I still wrote every bite down with plans to do a late entry. Yesterday was a very emotional day for me, and I was able to do pretty well considering. Me and my hubby went on a date to Cheesecake Factory and actually shared an entree. We haven't done that since right after my surgery. It felt good to just eat a few bites and be satisfied. Much cheaper too!! So here's my food for the day: B: 2 mini crustless quiche (180 cal / 16 protein), 1/2 cup cottage cheese (80 cal /10 protein). S: 1/2 cup Pistachios (170 cal / 6 gm protein) L: None-I slept through it! D: 2 ounces steak (150 cal / 15 gm protein) 2 oz salmon (150 cal / 13 gm protein) 3 bites red velvet cheesecake (oops-but I contained myself to 3 bites!) ( I'm going to overguestimate 300 cal / 0 protein) That makes a grand total for today of 1030 cals and 60 gm protein.

Nope...just mix the sugar free jello PUDDING (lemon and cheesecake are best) with ricotta...you could put a little skim milk in it if you wanted to thin it out, but I personally like it thick because it is very filling. I use one box pudding mixture for a 16 oz ricotta, and 2 pudding boxes if I use the larger carton.

I had the band. My doc always just recommended low carb, eat protein first, minimum of 60 gm protein per day. As far as calories, I never really had an official recommendation..but I always did well with between 1000-1500/day.

Wow..I'm glad I found you guys! I just got back on the band wagon as of one week ago today. I too was banded a while ago (August 2005), initially lost 158 pounds but through a stressful past two years have gained 98 back. I had my band loosened for vomiting so much, and never had it refilled. So now here I am 2 years later, low carbing it again. That's what worked best for me before, so I figure I can do it again. I started a blog, mostly just for my own accountability. I don't really care if anyone reads it or not..but it is helpful for me to feel like people are I have been logging my menu and daily cals/protein intake. Here is the link if it helps for anyone to look at what I have been eating: LAP-BAND I've lost 7 pounds in one week :biggrin: and have detoxed from Coca Cola and carbs. Yes the afternoon headaches are DEFINTELY part of that process! Usually 3 days after I stop the carbs, the headaches will lessen and then eventually go away. I actually feel great at this point. Not hungry or craving much. Good to touch base with others who are "Going for it again in 2010"..I love that!

Think I'm getting the hang of this. Think my previously stretched out pouch has shrunk back down because I have no more hunger pain, and I'm never hungry. Strange how overeating actually was making me hungry...Here's the calorie log for the day: B: 2 mini crustless quiche (180 cal / 16 protein), 1/2 cup cottage cheese (80 cal /10 protein). S: 1/2 cup Pistachios (170 cal / 6 gm protein) L: 1 cup taco meat (200 cal / 20 protein), lettuce, salsa, 2 tbsp low fat sour cream (40 cal / 2 protein) D: Lean Cuisine Chicken/Spinach Dinner (180 cal / 20 protein) S: 1 cup ricotta cheese mixed with sugar free lemon flavor jello pudding mix (320 cal / 24 protein) Totals for today are 1170 calories and 88 gms protein. Surgery Date: 8/5/05 Starting Weight: 384 pounds Lowest Weight 1/2/07: 226 pounds Starting over Date: 1/4/09 at 320 pounds Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

Think I'm getting the hang of this. Think my previously stretched out pouch has shrunk back down because I have no more hunger pain, and I'm never hungry. Strange how overeating actually was making me hungry...Here's the calorie log for the day: B: 2 mini crustless quiche (180 cal / 16 protein), 1/2 cup cottage cheese (80 cal /10 protein). S: 1/2 cup Pistachios (170 cal / 6 gm protein) L: 1 cup taco meat (200 cal / 20 protein), lettuce, salsa, 2 tbsp low fat sour cream (40 cal / 2 protein) D: Lean Cuisine Chicken/Spinach Dinner (180 cal / 20 protein) S: 1 cup ricotta cheese mixed with sugar free lemon flavor jello pudding mix (320 cal / 24 protein) Totals for today are 1170 calories and 88 gms protein. Surgery Date: 8/5/05 Starting Weight: 384 pounds Lowest Weight 1/2/07: 226 pounds Starting over Date: 1/4/09 at 320 pounds Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

Hi All! Joining in late, as I am an old bandster who is getting back into the swing of things. Have been off this site for a couple years, and as part of my committment, I'm back I remember how these challenges motiviated me before...so going to do it again! Bring on Valentines Day!

Down 6 pounds as of today. Haven't been very hungry today. In fact, I have had to force myself to eat to get the cals/protein in. At 11:30 tonight, I had to go down to the fridge and figure what would be the best choice to get in 300 more cals and 10 more gms of protein. I think I'm officially detoxed from regular Coke as of today...that was probably one of my main vices to gaining so much weight back. So YAY for that! Here's the calorie log for the day: B: South Beach Protein Bar (140 cals / 10 protein) L: 1 cup taco meat (200 cal / 20 protein), lettuce, salsa, 2 tbsp low fat sour cream (40 cal / 2 protein) D: 1 cup taco meat (200 cal / 20 protein), lettuce, salsa, 2 tbsp low fat sour cream (40 cal / 2 protein) Yes..it was a leftover day! S: 1 cup ricotta cheese mixed with sugar free lemon flavor jello pudding mix (320 cal / 24 protein) Total calories for today is 940 calories and 68 grams of protein. Surgery Date: 8/5/05 Starting Weight: 384 pounds Lowest Weight 1/2/07: 226 pounds Starting over Date: 1/4/09 at 320 pounds Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

Down 6 pounds as of today. Haven't been very hungry today. In fact, I have had to force myself to eat to get the cals/protein in. At 11:30 tonight, I had to go down to the fridge and figure what would be the best choice to get in 300 more cals and 10 more gms of protein. I think I'm officially detoxed from regular Coke as of today...that was probably one of my main vices to gaining so much weight back. So YAY for that! Here's the calorie log for the day: B: South Beach Protein Bar (140 cals / 10 protein) L: 1 cup taco meat (200 cal / 20 protein), lettuce, salsa, 2 tbsp low fat sour cream (40 cal / 2 protein) D: 1 cup taco meat (200 cal / 20 protein), lettuce, salsa, 2 tbsp low fat sour cream (40 cal / 2 protein) Yes..it was a leftover day! S: 1 cup ricotta cheese mixed with sugar free lemon flavor jello pudding mix (320 cal / 24 protein) Total calories for today is 940 calories and 68 grams of protein. Surgery Date: 8/5/05 Starting Weight: 384 pounds Lowest Weight 1/2/07: 226 pounds Starting over Date: 1/4/09 at 320 pounds Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

I was self pay 4 years ago. I didn't ask back then as the thought really didn't cross my mind that I might have complications. Luckily I had a very kind doctor, because my port got infected and had to be removed (surgery #1), replacement of port (surgery #2), herniated tubing-where the tubing popped through a weakened area in my abdominal wall (surgery #3), needed gallbladder surgery as a result of rapid weightloss (surgery #4), herniated tubing a second time requiring mesh (surgery #5). My doc felt bad for the port infection and because I was self pay, he covered it. As for the hernia repair and gall bladder, he somehow coded them and got them covered by insurance. I'm a little frustrated now that the fills were only covered for one year, as the cost often keeps me from going in for a fill or unfill when I probably need it. Just all questions to ask and get in writing from your surgeon. All in all, I'm still glad I had the surgery and would do it again in a heartbeat! Good luck.